Oar or paddle



Patented Dec. 27, 1949 Mig OAR OR. PADDLE Joseph E. Grierson, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, assigner of one-half to Roy Edmund Grierson, Red Lake, Ontario, Canada Application'August 14, 1946, Serial No. 690,359

1 Claim.

The present oars and paddles used for manually propelling a craft over the water usually consists in a single member pivoted in oarlocks on the side of a boat or carried by apaddlers hands when used for a canoe. These oars or paddles, when operated, make a curved sweeping motion through the water in relation to the boat. lnx other words; when the paddle or oar is placed in the water and then pulled it has a movement lengthwise of the boat and at the same time a slight movement outward and then sweeps inwardV again so that the water has a tendency to slide off the sides and end of the oar or paddle resulting in a considerable loss of power. This stroke also produces lateral pressures on the side of the boat, first pressing in, and then pressing outward, which is taken up by the oarlocks and is lost power.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an oar or paddle of a two-piece construction to permit the blade portion to enter the water and pass therethrough at all times in a position at right angles to the center line of the boat so that a full power stroke in the direction the boat is moving is obtained at all times.

A further object of the invention is to produce the above construction with a balanced blade member which will be held in the proper right angled position by the pressure of the water thereagainst.

A still further object of the invention is to construct the device in a simple, cheap and durable manner and adaptable, without requiring change, to fit all present types of oarlocks and be operated in the same manner as present oars or paddles.

With the above important and other minor objects in View, which will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists essentially in the construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a rowboat showing the invention attached thereto.

Figure 2 is an enlarged face view of the blade portion of the oar.

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional View taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a face View of a paddle arrangement for use with canoes or other light craft.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

A rowboat is generally indicated by the reference numeral I, having the usual oarlocks 2. The

2 oars 3 are received through the oarlocks in the usual manner to provide handgrips 4 -at the inner ends so the rower may operate same while sitting on the seat 5.

In the drawings, the oars are shown the same'- diameter for their full length with the exception of the handles, but it will be understood that they may be made larger where strains are heaviest and smaller where material strength is not required, while the cross sectional area need not be round.

The outer end of the oar receives an open sleeve 6 which is fastened thereto by bolts 1, the open sleeve acting as a clamp. The oar is shouldered at this point, the thickness of the metal of the sleeve, so that the outer surface of the sleeve is ush with the oar. The extreme outer end of the oar is fashioned in an inverted V-shape and the end of the sleeve is also Vd to correspond, except at the apex of the V where a circular extension 8 is provided on both sides. An aligned hole is provided in these extensions to receive a rivet 9 which acts as a pivot point for a blade member lll now to be described.

The blade member, in the drawings, is of a tapered shape having the rear corners cut off but, if desired, it may be made round, oval or any other shape satisfactory for the purpose. One side is provided with a slot l I which receives the V-fashioned end of the oar for movement of same therethrough. A plate l2 is centrally fastened on the side of the blade member, opposite the slot, and one side of this plate is rolled and positioned within the slot to receive the rivet 9 and hinge the blade member to the oar. The slot side of the blade extends farther away from the hinge point than the plate side. This allows for the lost blade surface, by the formation of the slot and the taper, and makes the surface areas on either side of this hinge point equal.

From the above construction, it will be apparent that the blade is free to pivot on the end of the oar for a pre-determined distance, the sides of the inverted V, at the end of the oar, limiting movement. When the blade is dropped into the water and the oar is pulled by the rower, the blade will move lengthwise of the boat but, due to the even pressure of the water at either side of the pivot point, it will always be at right angles to the centreline of said boat, thus giving a full power stroke to propel the craft through the water. The oars are operated in the same manner as for ordinary oars but the blades will p-ass into the water and out thereof while in a right angled position as above explained.

The construction shown in Figure 4 is for a paddle to be used for canoes and other light water craft and is exactly the same construction with the exception that the end of the handle is provided with a T-shaped member l 3 to be gripped by one of the paddlers hands. While this method is shown in the drawings it will be understood that various shaped ends can be provided as may be found satisfactory. In operation, this device works in the same way as the boat oar, the blade being balanced on the pivot point and accordingly, at all times sweeps a iiat surface against the water for a maximum propelling pressure. In the paddle construction, the part of the hinge attached to the lower part of the blade, also acts as a weight when the blade is lifted out of the water. Accordingly, the blade always leaves and.

enters the water approximately vertical.

What I claim as my invention is:

In an oar or paddle for watercraft: an arm member having one end enclosed within an open sleeve and the other end provided with a handgrip; fastening means for clamping said sleeve to said arm; a V-shaped notch on one end of said arm member and on said sleeve; a. blade member having a slot therein from one side to receive the sleeve end of said arm member for passage of same there through; a hinge plate fastened to said blade for a weight; said plate having the hinged end receivable in said slot; means for connecting said hinged end and said sleeve to pivot said blade member on said arm member; and said pivoted movement limited by the sides of said notch.

J. E. GRlERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

